Marie Darden (Assistant Director) is thrilled to be working with the very talented Liza once again! Marie just directed Iceberg at the American Theatre of Actors and Caution: The True Imagined Story of My Parents Romance at the Impact Theatre, which will also be appearing for one night at the American Globe Theatre in April. Other credits include SM for Glengarry Glen Ross and ASM for Bat Boy: The Musical. In addition, Marie is currently crunching numbers as an intern at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

Dale Davidson (Ma) has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien with the Ventriloquist Dummy Choir, performed her cabaret show Drugs, Sex and Rock ‘n Roll in FringeNYC (she is also on staff), sang Yiddish and other vaudeville songs at the New York Historical Society, and created the character of Ludmilla Schlomokov for Old School Theatre (performing in two Philadelphia Fringes and at Piccolo Spoleto).  Recently she directed John Ladd’s It’s Not That Far and The Hallelujah Mall at TSI/Playtime.  Dale is writing a biography about vaudevillian and songwriter Jack Norworth (who wrote “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”).  She is happy to revisit her 13-year stint in Boston via Pop.  Thanks to Liza and the whole cast!

Liza Lentini (Playwright)  Favorite productions include: Drowning in Euphoria (McGinn/Cazale), The Euthanasist (Manhattan Rep), The Gentleman Caller (Women’s Project & Chicago Dramatists), Psychotic & Weird (but enough about me) (American Theatre of Actors, NYC & London), Life in Exodus (Milagro Theatre, NYC), Brain Children (Rubicon Theatre Project, Chicago) and The Low Road to Phoenix (Actor’s Workshop, Boston).  Liza is the Creative Director of Elephant Ensemble Theater, a company that brings children’s theatre to NYC hospitals, and is proud to be Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s 2007 Playwright in Residence.  She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Mollie Lohinski (Lisa) was recently seen as the Taverner in Thirteen Clocks and ensemble in Miss Julie at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Other credits include Peasblossom in Fools In Love at Manhattan Ensemble Theatre and The Wounded Woman in Kettle Dreams at the Impact Theatre. Voice credits include The Belle Witch of Tennessee(Learning Channel), Dragon Knights Japanese Animation Film voice of Sayecko, and the featured voice in an instructional documentary called The Instructional Practices of Stream Channel Design. Mollie is from Baltimore and received her BFA in acting from Point Park College in Pittsburgh.
Scott MacKenzie (Uncle Clink)  When Scott was 18 months old, his dad built a chain link fence to keep him in the backyard.  But, with a child like fearlessness, Scott promptly scaled the fence.  This sense of adventure took Scott many places in the world, like camping and horse back riding in the mountains of Yellowstone, to skiing in the mountains of Norway and, ultimately, to New York.  Some of his favorite roles include Alan Seymore in Picnic, Rollie More in Criminal Genius and Senator Claudius in Elsinore County, recently performed at the Cherry Lane.

Shashanah Newman (Beth) is excited to act in Pop. Favorite roles include Helena(Fools in Love), Yvonne (Feu la Mere de Madam), Olivia (Twelfth Night), Artie, (Eleemosynary), Drood(The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Lady Anne (Richard III), and Tigger(Winnie the Pooh). Shashanah has a BFA in acting from Carnegie Mellon University and also studied at The Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) in Russia. Thanks to Liza for the opportunity and Jeff for Bosley.

Rick Plaugher (Nerd/Bobby/Cop)  Rick’s favorite roles include Blue Man Group - Blue Man (Boston, Chicago, New York), M5 (ATA), The Euthanasiast – Title Role (Manhattan Rep.), Right On America! – Happy Guy (NY Fringe Festival), Cat On a Hot Tin Roof – Brick (Gallery Players), Role Models – Brian (Theater for the New City). Rick’s voiceover work can be heard at the Boston Children’s Museum and on MacMillan audiobooks.  Rick has trained at The Groundlings and The Upright Citizens Brigade and has appeared with Film Pigs and GirlsGirlsGirls and at various comedy clubs around town.  Rick is an alright guy.

Antony Raymond (Pop) is from New Jersey, but he claims to be a native New Yorker...he's lying.  Off-Broadway: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Off Off-Broadway: Hamlet 2, 13 Clocks, The Sea Gull.  He wrote and directed Elsinore County (Aaron Spelling's Hamlet) which was presented at The Cherry Lane Theater by the Republic Theater Company.  Most recently he directed M5 by Liza Lentini.

Christopher Van Jura (Jimmy) is a proud graduate of Western Connecticut State University with a BA in Theater Arts. He has been seen as Sir Toby (Twelfth Night), Rich (The Distance From Here), Griever (Blue Window) at Urban Stages as well appearing as a vocal soloist in Food: A Sixteen Course Musical at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Most recently he appeared as Lysander and Tom Snout in the Off-Broadway hit Fools In Love. He would like to thank Liza and Christine for this opportunity, his family for all their endless support and Corinne for absolutely everything! www.myspace.com/mrvanjerz